Things started changing dramatically after Stonewall. The American Psychiatric Association declared that being gay was not a sickness, the women's movement included a lot of lesbians who refused to back down, and gay men and women started protesting with a commemoration of the Stonewall riots.
The march continued as gays and lesbians had churches to attend, and politicians that were just like them. There was a backlash, of course, as people like Anita Bryant led a charge against gays and lesbians.
Homosexuality may no longer be a mental illness, but with Bryant, Ronald Reagan, and Jerry Falwell in the public limelight, it became a sin. This at the time that AIDS came on the scene.
A fascinating look at the ups and downs of the movement.